Huge stone buildings still contain some of the massive machines used to produce Biltmore Industries famous 'homespun' woven wool fabric. This one of the dye vats which is a tall as I am.
The looms were HUGE......our guide explained that they were set up with over 1,000 threads each.
Most of the equipment were not in well lighted rooms but these machines were.....rows and rows of machines to spin wool into thread.
Their cloth was highly prized.....several U.S. Presidents visited to obtain material to be made into clothing.
It was an amazing day, filled with so much stimulation and friendship. Surely no matter where you live....there are places to explore? Grab some girlfriends....go visit some galleries, museums, or hey....what about this idea...... visit a quilt shop!
I had heard about his awesome pieces but had not seen them in person until this visit. I want one!! Heck, I coveted more then just one..... I'm fond of repurposing materials.....nah, I'm not just talking about the new trend of going GREEN.....rather, the ability of the maker to see how sometimes even the most obscure materials can be incorporated into a piece to make it more interesting and successful. Daniel wins that prize!
Vicki Essig arranged a lovely and educational day for our group which started off by meeting at the Grovewood. It's located adjacent to the historical Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. Working artist's studios are contained in this building.....one of which is Vicki's husband....I'll be showing (and still coveting) his fabulous work in an upcoming post.
The gardens surrounding the property are dotted with sculptures. many are available for purchase. This steel work of art was made by Grace Cathey and could be yours for $1,600.
We were visited by two aggressive hawks when we first gathered....I suspect they had a nest nearby.
This section has been named Wind Forest; the work of artist Lyman Whitaker.
So.....I was saying yesterday that I didn't like the appearance of the metallic thread in the tan section..... [side tracking here......I want to mention that the main background piece is not black as it appears....it's a rich dark chocolate..... ] 
Now I'm ready to begin the thought process of how I'm going to attach a sea shell......as my focal point.
This time I used Xotic by National Nonwovens.....a bamboo/rayon blend. It's a super soft felt....love the look, love working with it, but one must take care as it is not very sturdy.
Again, I've turned to my fav material.....National Nonwovens Woolfelt (70/30 blend). A non-fusible stabilizer has been basted to the wrong side and I'm auditioning what thread to use......
........for the simple background stitching I'm doing.
Once that was accomplished, I added two more elements, varying the stitching pattern.
It's now time to figure out how to secure the sand dollar onto the piece.......glue is and would be the obvious solution......but I want additional security and more pizzazz...... Watch what happens.
I wanted to feature a sand dollar on the woolfelt design.....and ideally, hoped to have a hole through it to make attaching the embellishment easier. There are natural holes in the back....so...I'm thinking....okay all I need to do is use a strong but sharp straight pin and puncture from the back to the front.
Well....sure I sort of knew these things weren't sturdy....sadly, they are rather fragile.
That was yesterday.....so my 3:00 AM thought last night was to forget about making a hole....I can still bead around it or ??, but I know I can get it on. Yet, there's no point in adding such an item if it's terribly fragile especially since I now sell my work....that wouldn't be fair to a potential buyer.
This old drinking fountain was on display in her kitchen.....complete with an interesting tableau (below)
On her porch I found this long narrow window box filled with sand featuring succulents and other small fun objects.
This put me over the top......I LOVE yard art......notice the cow creamer peaking out of the first container? For those who don't know about our long standing passion....we've collected cow creamers for at least 20 years.....having now amassed over 200!
Why not cover an outside door entrance with interesting objects?!?
Jude's husband apparently haunts junk and metal scrap yards....he's collecting man hole covers for an outside patio......super idea!!
